When I grow up, I want to be an actress.

I said those words to my parents when I was asked about my plans following high school.

With more career opportunities than ever, and college costs skyrocketing, students have to give post-high school moves some serious consideration.

A college education today can average $200,000, with much of the burden placed on the students and parents. Although some politicians say they can make college “tuition free,” I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Facing such astronomical costs, I wondered if careers chosen when one is in middle school or high school stick or if different careers are chosen after schooling.

I began asking family members, friends and complete strangers of all ages if they were working in the career they had chosen as a young student.

My mother wanted to be a secretary and followed that path through to her retirement as an executive secretary at a major corporation.

My older sister grew up wanting to be a chemist. While I wanted to play with Barbie dolls, she wanted to show me the latest “critter” under her microscope. She has consistently worked in the chemistry field.

Ken, of Zionsville, wanted to be a cook. He went to school to train as a cook, worked as a trash hauler and now is in the farming business, growing the food.

When Bill, of Allentown, was in school, he wanted to be a state trooper. After school, he joined the Navy for two years. At that time, in the early 1970s, it was tough to find a job. So Bill took a job at Pepsi and stayed for 36 years.

Not everyone has an idea of what they want to do when they graduate.

Ken, of Lehighton, had no idea what he wanted to do, and there was no money for college. So he joined the carnival, working in concessions and traveling.

He then bought his own truck and started his own business. Ken said it was a challenge and an adventure where he got to see the country. He enjoyed the path his life took, but it came at a cost. He never had a family, which is a regret, he said.

“I would have preferred a normal eight-hour-a-day job,” Ken said.

Bonnie, of Wescosville, really wanted to be a housewife. However, after her father died, she knew she would need a career to help her mother with bills.

So she attended the Allentown School of Cosmetology every summer for three years while in high school. By the time Bonnie graduated from high school, she took her exam and had her license to begin work. She worked part time and full time and enjoyed what she did while being a wife and mother.

About 80 percent of students in the United States end up changing their major at least once, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. On average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career.

Today, there are a number of resources available to students in middle and high schools. A variety of websites are available to gauge a student’s interests and summarize potential career choices. They are available in the school guidance offices.

There is a wonderful resource of the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute in Schnecksville. Students can attend LCTI while in high school and pursue skills such as emerging health, engineering, automobile repair, cosmetology, baking, cooking, welding and more.

Students who attend LCTI consistently win awards, and LCTI has been named the top career and technical high school in Pennsylvania.

Other opportunities for students include taking college classes while at their high schools, otherwise known as dual-enrollment, which allows students to take college credit courses at very affordable rates. This can also give students a taste of the curricula found at college for that given career.

According to collegeatlas.org, 70 percent of Americans will study at a four-year college, but less than two-thirds will graduate.

The cost of a college education, in my opinion, has a lot to do with it.

Students should follow their passion and realize sometimes those passions move along a different path than expected. Flexibility is the key.

In the meantime, until my acting career takes off, I will continue reading and editing stories for my two weekly papers.

Maybe the day will come when Hollywood discovers my dramatic talents and takes me off to “Tinsel Town.”

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press